TW201723370A - Sprung seal retainer - Google Patents

Abstract

A combination valve and coupling has a retainer in the form of a ring which engages a seal. The seal engages the valve closing member and is captured within a pocket in the valve housing by the ring. The ring has tabs in spaced relation about its outer perimeter which engage dogs on the valve housing to retain the ring in contact with the seal. The stiffness of the tabs may be tuned to provide flexibility to the ring and permit the seal to deform when the valve is opened and closed. The tabs have angularly oriented surfaces which engage the dogs and cause axial motion of the ring upon its rotation to adjust the preload between the ring and seal.

Description

Elastomeric seal holder

This invention relates to fluid control devices, such as valves and combination valve connectors, and assemblies for holding seals for use with such valves and connectors.

The seal of the valve closure member in the engagement and sealing valve (such as a butterfly valve) is subjected to severe conditions which can result in leakage due to accelerated wear and displacement of the seal. The preload between the valve closure members (such as between the disc of a butterfly valve and the ring seal) is relatively high and proportional to the internal pressure (for which the valve is designed). The higher the preload, the greater the wear rate on the seal, resulting in more frequent seal replacement. In addition to the high preload force, the seal also experiences non-uniform forces during the opening and closing of the disc. The force applied to the seal tends to increase with distance from the axis of rotation of the disk. The non-uniform force on the seal subjects the seal to repeated high stresses which accelerate wear and also tend to pull the seal out of the valve housing, which can result in a valve failure. There is clearly an opportunity to improve valve performance by addressing how the seal is mounted and retained within the valve housing to mitigate the undesirable effects of preload and non-uniform loading.

The present invention relates to a valve for controlling the flow of fluid through a tubular element connected thereto. In an exemplary embodiment, the valve includes a housing having an inner surface surrounding one of the central spaces. A shoulder extends around the inner face and projects toward the central space, thereby defining a recess. A valve closure member is mounted in the central space and is moveable between an open position and a closed position. A seal is positioned within the recess. The seal engages the valve closure member when the valve closure member is in the closed position. A ring is positioned within the central space adjacent the recess for retaining the seal in the recess. By way of example, a flange extends around the outer casing. The flange is positioned adjacent to the recess and surrounds the central space. A plurality of hooks are positioned about the flange in spaced relation to each other. The hooks project toward the central space. A plurality of tabs project outwardly from an outer periphery of one of the rings. The tabs are configured in spaced relation to each other to allow each tab to pass between the hooks for positioning the ring within the flange. The tabs at least partially overlie the hooks after the ring is rotated relative to the housing for retaining the loop within the central space. In a particular exemplary embodiment, each of the tabs includes a face that is oriented at an angle relative to a plane of the ring. Further by way of example, the ring includes a lip extending around an inner periphery thereof. The lip projects from the plane of the ring toward the seal. An exemplary valve in accordance with the present invention may further include a plurality of sections, the ends of which are attached to each other to surround the outer casing and form a connector. Each segment has an attachment member positioned at the opposite end. Each segment has an arcuate surface positioned on an opposite side thereof for engagement with the tubular members. In an exemplary embodiment, the attachment members include lugs that extend outwardly from opposite ends of each of the segments. Each lug defines a hole for receiving a fastener. In a further example, the arcuate faces project radially from the segments toward the axis. In a particular exemplary embodiment, the plurality of segments includes no more than two segments. In a further example, the valve closure member includes a disk mounted to a valve stem rotatably mounted to the housing. The invention further encompasses a valve connector for joining pipe elements. In an exemplary embodiment, the valve connector includes a plurality of sections, the ends of which are attached to each other and surround a central space. A housing is sandwiched between the sections. The outer casing has an inner surface surrounding one of the central spaces. A shoulder extends around the inner face and projects toward the central space, thereby defining a recess. A valve closure member is mounted in the central space and is moveable between an open position and a closed position. A seal is positioned within the recess. The seal engages the valve closure member when the valve closure member is in the closed position. A ring is positioned within the central space adjacent the recess for retaining the seal in the recess. By way of example, the valve connector further includes a flange extending around the outer casing. The flange is positioned adjacent to the recess and surrounds the central space. A plurality of hooks are positioned about the flange in spaced relation to each other and project toward the central space. A plurality of tabs project outwardly from an outer periphery of one of the rings. The tabs are configured in spaced relation to each other to allow each tab to pass between the hooks for positioning the ring within the flange. The tabs at least partially overlie the hooks after the ring is rotated relative to the housing for retaining the loop within the central space. In an exemplary embodiment, each of the tabs includes a face that is oriented at an angle relative to a plane of the ring. Further by way of example, the ring includes a lip extending around an inner periphery thereof. The lip projects from the plane of the ring toward the seal. An exemplary valve connector in accordance with the present invention further includes an attachment member positioned at opposite ends of each segment. The arcuate faces are positioned on opposite sides of each of the segments for engagement with the tubular members. By way of example, the attachment members include lugs that extend outwardly from opposite ends of the segments. Each lug defines a hole for receiving a fastener. Further by way of example, the arcuate faces project radially from the sections toward the axis. In an exemplary embodiment, the plurality of segments includes no more than two segments. In another exemplary embodiment, the valve closure member includes a disk mounted to a valve stem rotatably mounted to the housing.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS This application is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety in its entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire entire all 1 shows an exemplary embodiment of a combination valve and mechanical connector 10 (hereinafter referred to as a valve connector). The valve connector 10 includes a plurality of sections (in this example, two sections 12 and 14) that are attached end to end to each other to encircle and define a central space 16. Attachment of segments 12 and 14 is achieved by adjustable attachment members 18 positioned at each end of each segment. In this example, the attachment member includes a lug 20 that extends outwardly from opposite ends of the segments 12 and 14, the fingers defining apertures for receiving adjustable fasteners, such as bolts 24 and nuts 26. twenty two. The tightening of the nut 26 causes the segments 12 and 14 to be pulled toward each other, as described below. Sections 12 and 14 each have a curved surface 28 that is positioned on opposite sides 30 and 32 of valve connector 10. The curved surface 28 faces through a longitudinal axis 34 of the central space 16. When the tubular element is inserted between the sections 12 and 14 and into the central space 16, the curved surface 28 can engage the tubular element, as described below. The camber 28 may project radially from the segments 12 and 14 toward the axis 34 to engage the circumferential groove in the tubular member after tightening the attachment member 18 and provide mechanical engagement to secure the tubular member in end-to-end relationship Form a joint. The curved surface 28 can also engage a tubular member having a flat end or an end having a shoulder and/or bead known in the art. 1 and 2 show a valve housing 36 positioned within the central space 16 and sandwiched between sections 12 and 14. The valve housing 36 has an inner face 38 that surrounds the central space 16. As shown in FIG. 4, a shoulder 40 extends around the inner face 38 and projects toward the central space 16, thereby defining a notch 42. A valve closure member (in this example, a disk 44) is mounted in the central space 16 (see also Figure 1). As shown in FIG. 3, the disk 44 is rotatably mounted to the valve stems 46 and 48 and is moveable within the outer casing 36 between an open position and a closed position (display). The rods 46 and 48 are received within respective bonnets 50 and 52 that extend from the outer casing 36 and serve as bearings for the valve stem. The bonnets 50 and 52 then extend through respective openings 54 and 56 in sections 12 and 14. The engagement between the bonnets 50 and 52 and the outer casing 36 helps to stabilize the outer casing within the central space 16. As shown in FIG. 3, a seal 58 is positioned within the recess 42. The seal 58 includes a ring that surrounds the central space 16 and sealingly engages the disk when the disk 44 is in the closed position. The additional seal 60 shown in FIG. 3 is positioned between the segments 12 and 14 and the valve housing 36. When a joint is created by tightening the attachment members 18 to pull the segments toward each other and engage the tubular members, the seal 60 establishes a seal between the segments 12 and 14, the valve housing 36 and the tubular members. 3 and 4 show the valve connector 10 with the disk 44 in a closed position sealingly engaging the seal 58. When the disc 44 is rotated between the open position and the closed position, the seal 58 experiences a significant force exerted by the disc 44. The force from the relatively large preload between the periphery of the disc 44 and the face of the seal 58 is required to ensure a liquid tight seal. Moreover, the seal 58 does not experience non-uniform forces during the opening and closing of the disk 44. The forces attributed to the open and closed seals 58 have several deleterious effects: they cause the seal to undergo repeated high stresses, cause wear and tend to pull the seal out of its recess in the valve housing. It is desirable to mitigate such deleterious effects by providing a flexible retainer 62 (shown in Figures 3 through 5) to further define the notch 42 containing the seal 58. As shown in FIG. 5, the exemplary retainer embodiment 62 has the form of a ring 64. The ring 64 has an outer periphery 66 that includes a plurality of outwardly projecting tabs 68 that circumferentially surround the outer periphery in spaced relation to each other. The tabs 68 are used to determine the axial stiffness of the ring 64 and hence the deflection thereof, depending on the axial load caused by the closure of the disk 44 (see Figure 3) and the valve connector 10 is subjected to internal pressure. The rigid tuning of the tabs 68 can be accomplished by adjusting the thickness of the tabs 68, thereby controlling the area moment of inertia of each tab. As further shown in FIG. 5, the ring 64 can have a flat region 70 on its outer periphery 66 and a lip 72 extending around its inner periphery 74. As shown in FIG. 4, the lip 72 projects from the plane 76 of the ring 64 and is positioned within the central space 16 adjacent the notch 42 for retaining the seal 58. Ring 64 is held within valve housing 36 by a plurality of hooks 78 (see also Figure 2). The hooks 78 are positioned about a flange 80 in spaced relation to each other. The flange 80 is positioned adjacent to the recess 42 and extends around the outer casing 36. The hooks 78 project toward the central space 16 and are spaced apart to provide a plurality of gaps 82 (which receive the tabs 68 of the ring 64 when the seal 58 is mounted as described below). The disc seal is assembled by first positioning the seal 58 within the recess 42. This can be easily accomplished by deforming the seal 58 to pass it through the hooks 78 because the seal is formed from an elastically flexible material. Once the seal 58 is in place, the ring 64 is positioned (as shown in FIG. 2A) such that its tab 68 is aligned with the gap 82 and the flat region 70 is aligned with one of the similar flat features 84 on the flange 80. The ring 64 is also configured such that its lip 72 faces the seal 58. The ring 64 is then pressed against the seal 58 and the seal is compressed between the ring and the shoulder 40 defining the recess 42. The ring 64 is forced against the seal 58 until the face 86 of the tab 68 facing away from the lip 72 is behind the inner face 88 of the hook 78 (see also Figures 2 and 4). The ring 64 is then rotated about the axis 34 to align the tab 68 with the hook 78 such that the tab at least partially overlies the hook. The pressure on the ring is then released. As shown in FIG. 4, the resulting space 90 between the shoulder 40 and the ring 64 is thus less than the width of the seal 58 and the seal biases the ring 64 against the hook 78 to secure it in place. The size of the space 90 can be adjusted (i.e., made smaller or larger), thereby also adjusting the axial preload of the ring 64 against the seal 58. As shown in FIG. 5, the preload adjustment is provided by the face 86 of the tab 68, as shown in FIG. 5A, the face 86 is oriented at an angle relative to the plane 76 of the ring 64. This angular orientation causes the ring 64 to move axially relative to the outer casing (and thus relative to the seal 58) as the ring rotates relative to the valve housing 36. The angled face 86 rides against the hook 78 after rotation of the ring 64 (see Figure 2A) and is forced toward the seal 58 when rotating in a clockwise direction (as viewed in Figure 2A) (by thereby increasing the preload) ). Rotate counterclockwise to reduce the preload. As shown in FIG. 4, the tab 68 of the ring 64 is sandwiched between the hook 78 and the valve housing 36. The ring 64 is thus cantilevered about its outer periphery 66 and the axial rigidity of the ring 64 is determined to a greater extent by the stiffness of the tabs 68 because they are designed as the smallest rigid component of the outer casing 36 and the hooks 78. The stiffness of the tab 68 is tuned such that the ring 64 provides sufficient axial force against the seal 58 such that it maintains a fluid tight seal between itself and the disc when the disc 44 is closed and subjected to hydraulic pressure. However, tab 68 is also sufficiently flexible to allow space 90 to expand as the seal experiences a higher non-uniform force during opening and closing of disc 44. The flexibility of the ring 64 allows it and thus the seal 58 to deform in response to the opening and closing forces, which reduces the stress on the seal and thereby reduces wear and the seal is pulled out when the disk is rotated to the open position The tendency of space 90. In addition, the ring 64 is used to compensate for the loss of elasticity of the seal as it ages. This is accomplished by a ring 64 that is used to reduce the size of the space 90 when the seal becomes less rigid. In use, as shown in Figure 6, a valve connector 10 (see also Figure 1) is provided in a pre-assembled state in which sections 12 and 14 are sufficient to allow insertion of the tubular element into the central space 16. There is no need to disassemble the valve connector 10 to position it in a spaced relationship. Tube elements 92 and 94 are then inserted into central space 16 between sections 12 and 14 and engaged with seal 60, respectively. In this example, the tubular member has a circumferential groove 96 that receives a convex curved surface 28 that is disposed on opposite sides 30 and 32 of the segment. As shown in Figure 7, the attachment member 18 (see also Figure 1) is tightened to pull the segments 12 and 14 toward each other and into engagement with the tubular members 92 and 94 which engage the circumferential groove in the tubular member. 96. As the segments 12 and 14 are pulled toward each other, the seal 60 is compressed between the section, the valve housing 36 and the tube members 92 and 94 to form a fluid tight joint. Figure 8 shows the final configuration of the valve connector 10 after the fitting is installed, the tube elements being not shown for the sake of brevity. It should be noted that in this exemplary embodiment, when the valve connector 10 is properly installed, the connecting member 18 satisfies a so-called "pad-to-pad" engagement. This design is advantageous because it allows for proper visual inspection of the proper installation and does not require tightening the bolts 24 to a particular torque value, but other types of interfaces for connecting components known in the art can be used. These types include a tongue and groove interface or an interface in which the connecting member is not in contact and instead relies on a specific amount of torque applied to the connecting member through a bolt or other member to maintain the valve connector in its final configuration. . It is desirable for a valve and valve connector using a retainer 62 (such as the exemplary ring embodiment 64) in accordance with the present invention to have increased pressure performance due to seal displacement as compared to prior art valve or valve couplings. , with less wear and less failure.

10‧‧‧Valve Connector 12‧‧‧ Section 14‧‧‧Section 16‧‧‧Center Space 18‧‧‧ Attachment Parts 20‧‧‧Tear 22‧‧‧ Hole 24‧‧‧Bolt 26‧ ‧ ‧ nuts 28 ‧ ‧ curved surface 30 ‧ ‧ opposite side 32 ‧ ‧ opposite side 34 ‧ ‧ longitudinal axis 36 ‧ ‧ valve casing 38 ‧ ‧ inner 40 ‧ ‧ shoulder 42 ‧ ‧ Notch 44‧‧‧Disc 46‧‧‧Valve 48‧‧ Valve stem 50‧‧‧Cap 52‧‧‧Cap 54‧‧‧ Opening 56‧‧‧ Opening 58‧‧‧ Seal 60‧ ‧ ‧ Seals 62‧‧ ‧ retainers 64 ‧ ‧ ring 66 ‧ ‧ outer perimeter 68 ‧ ‧ slats 70 ‧ ‧ flat area 72 ‧ ‧ lip 74 ‧ ‧ inner perimeter 76 ‧ ‧ plane 78‧‧‧Hooks 80‧‧‧Flange 82‧‧‧Gap 84‧‧‧Flat features 86‧‧‧ Face 88‧‧‧90‧‧‧ Space 92‧‧‧tube components 94‧‧‧ Component 96‧‧‧ circumferential groove

1 is an isometric view of an exemplary embodiment of a valve connector in accordance with the present invention, the valve connector being shown in a pre-assembled state; FIG. 2 is an illustration of one of the valve connectors of FIG. Figure 1A is an axial view of one of the valve housings shown in Figure 2; Figure 3 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the valve connector shown in Figure 1; Figure 4 is an enlarged view 1 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of one of the valve couplers shown in FIG. 1; FIG. 5 is a plan view of one of the exemplary embodiments of one of the valve couplers shown in FIG. 11; FIG. 5 is a side view of one of the components taken at line 5A of FIG. 5; FIGS. 6 and 7 are longitudinal cross-sectional views illustrating the assembly of a joint using the exemplary valve connector of FIG. 1; and FIG. 8 is in an assembled state. An isometric view of an exemplary valve connector.

10‧‧‧Valve Connector

Section 12.‧‧

14‧‧‧ Section

16‧‧‧Central space

18‧‧‧ Attached parts

20‧‧‧ 耳耳

22‧‧‧ holes

24‧‧‧ bolt

26‧‧‧ Nuts

28‧‧‧ curved surface

30‧‧‧ opposite side

32‧‧‧ opposite side

34‧‧‧ longitudinal axis

36‧‧‧ valve housing

38‧‧‧ inside

44‧‧‧ disc

46‧‧‧ valve stem

48‧‧‧ valve stem

Claims (18)

A valve for controlling a fluid flowing through a tube member connected thereto, the valve comprising: an outer casing having an inner surface surrounding a central space, a shoulder extending around the inner surface and protruding toward the central space Thereby defining a recess; a valve closure member mounted in the central space and movable between an open position and a closed position; a seal positioned within the recess, the seal being The valve closure member engages the valve closure member when in the closed position; and a ring positioned within the central space adjacent the recess for retaining the seal in the recess. A valve according to claim 1, further comprising: a flange extending around the outer casing, the flange being positioned adjacent to the recess and surrounding the central space; a plurality of hooks, which are spaced apart from each other a relationship positioned about the flange and projecting toward the central space; a plurality of tabs projecting outwardly from an outer periphery of the ring, the tabs being configured in spaced relation to each other to allow each of the protrusions a sheet is passed between the hooks for positioning the ring within the flange, the tabs at least partially overlying the hooks after the ring is rotated relative to the housing for use The ring is held in the central space. The valve of claim 2, wherein each of the tabs comprises a face that is oriented at an angle relative to a plane of the ring. A valve according to claim 1, wherein the ring includes a lip extending around an inner periphery thereof, the lip projecting from the plane of the ring toward the seal. A valve according to claim 1, further comprising a plurality of sections, the opposite ends being attached to each other to surround the outer casing and forming a connector, each of the sections having an attachment positioned at the opposite end A component, each of the segments having a curved surface positioned on an opposite side thereof for engaging the tubular members. The valve of claim 5, wherein the attachment members comprise lugs extending outwardly from opposite ends of each of the segments, each of the lugs defining an aperture for receiving a fastener. The valve of claim 5, wherein the arcuate faces project radially from the sections toward the axis. The valve of claim 5, wherein the plurality of segments comprises no more than two of the segments. The valve of claim 1 wherein the valve closure member comprises a disc mounted to a valve stem rotatably mounted to the housing. A valve connector for joining pipe elements, the valve connector comprising: a plurality of segments, the ends of which are attached to each other to surround a central space; and a casing that is sandwiched between the segments Between the outer casing having an inner surface surrounding the central space, a shoulder extending around the inner surface and projecting toward the central space, thereby defining a recess; a valve closing member mounted in the central space and Moving between an open position and a closed position; a seal positioned within the recess, the seal engaging the valve closure member when the valve closure member is in the closed position; and a ring positioned Adjacent to the recess in the central space for retaining the seal in the recess. The valve connector of claim 10, further comprising: a flange extending around the outer casing, the flange being positioned adjacent to the recess and surrounding the central space; a plurality of hooks that are spaced apart from each other An open relationship is positioned about the flange and projects toward the central space; a plurality of tabs that project outwardly from an outer periphery of the ring, the tabs being configured to be spaced apart from one another to allow each The tab passes between the hooks for positioning the ring within the flange, the tabs at least partially overlying the hooks after the ring is rotated relative to the housing Used to hold the ring in the central space. The valve connector of claim 11, wherein each of the tabs comprises a face that is oriented at an angle relative to a plane of the ring. A valve connector according to claim 10, wherein the ring includes a lip extending around an inner periphery thereof, the lip projecting from the plane of the ring toward the seal. The valve connector of claim 10, further comprising: an attachment member positioned at opposite ends of each of the segments; a curved surface positioned on an opposite side of each of the segments for use with The tube elements are joined. The valve connector of claim 14, wherein the attachment members comprise lugs extending outwardly from opposite ends of each of the segments, each of the lugs defining an aperture for receiving a fastener. The valve connector of claim 14 wherein the arcuate faces project radially from the sections toward the axis. The valve connector of claim 10, wherein the plurality of segments comprises no more than two of the segments. The valve connector of claim 10, wherein the valve closure member comprises a disk mounted on a valve stem rotatably mounted to the housing.